This is all sour grapes, because the complainers don't have enough content to be part of the "I screw you, you screw me, we all screw the customer" game played by Bell, Rogers and Shaw.

It's important to note that Rogers and Shaw aren't complaining about the Astral purchase, because they are very much part of this game. The game involves these three major players agreeing to significant wholesale rate increases for the channels each of them own, knowing that it all falls out in the wash for their bottom line. Rogers will pay more for TMN, but will charge Bell more for Sportsnet and their other content. Shaw will do the same. Each side happily signs the contracts. This leads to companies like Telus, Cogeco and independent cable companies being faced with large increases and being told that the increases are market rate, because (choose two) Bell, Rogers and Shaw signed on. Not having enough valuable content of their own, the smaller companies are forced to sign on with no help from the CRTC and the customer takes it in the ass. This just happened with the binding arbitration between Bell and whatever the group of smaller providers called themselves.

We all lose in the end. Cogeco, Videotron and the rest of them surely don't have pure motivations, but at least the result of what they're trying protects us in some small way.

Yeah. The CRTC always have the mind set that "Bigger is Better" and only the 'Big Guys" would invest. The smaller players are only there as an illusion that they are "doing their jobs" and there are "Competitions" in the "Free market".

You're assuming they (the CRTC) lacked foresight. My guess is they knew *exactly* what they were doing. Corruption is everywhere in this country.

True but if you push with that kind of statement you will quickly be ignored and marginalized. If you come at it from the perspective of giving them the benefit of the doubt. You now force to rationalize their position, rather than simply dancing around your baseless conjecture.

The DSLR community would be far better served by avoid the issue operating and thinking that the CRTC is working in the public interest and policy direction. It's only when you force yourself to think in that manner that you can anticipate their potential responses (excuses) for fucking it up so bad.

Once you know how they will likely respond you can have follow-up questions ready to demonstrate how inept they are.

For example, my history is foggy on this is spotty but I believe at one point one of the major telegraph operator owned a newspaper and the telegraphs necessary to transmit storey's from news bureaus. It was soon discovered that allowing them to own both content and distribution was a dangerous monopoly that had criminal elements to it. All the way to fixing elections.

Now one could pose the question, that of course the CRTC having done its due diligence had already reviewed this historic AntiTrust case since it was so relevant, and is avoiding the same fate by using "X" preventative measures.

The more likely response is, "what are you talking about, we're not familiar with this". In which case you get to educate them on one of Histories most relevant monopolies and the damage it did to society. Repeating itself almost exactly 100 years later.

Although I responded directly to a person, this is a common sentiment and the response is more of a general one to anyone writing into the CRTC with this type of sentiment

I'll disagree a bit with that. In English Canada a few years back the copyright thing and the throttling thing was a big thing. You had some big names writing about it and all english media.

In Quebec it barely got any french coverage at all. And only a few months after the fact. Even the english media made note of this and wrote of this. Even Geists website makes note of this. Even the videotron forum here reflects this.

I can see a couple (Bell videotron cogeco) writing the laws of the land. No heavy swingers in French QC.

Would it be better? It could. But I don't see it happening with the money they have versus no information to the french public.English Canada versus French Canada is night and day on these matters and in regards to public information.

They are about the only ones. But it's no longer the same people there. That Anthony guy from the Consumers Union made some following, but the new person who replaced him? Haven't even seen them say/do much, or anything.

That Anthony guy had a passion for this stuff. The current person seems M.I.A.

Guy can never get an interview with Bell about anything. All of a Bell calls him out of the blue to set up an interview w/ the regulatory VP. They want to get the message out that Bell is great and how this deal will be the best thing since sliced bread for Canada.

Today, newspaper sites around the country have been buzzing with news about a new proposal by Bell to put up an $80 million fund.

But this fund was announced way back in April, when Bell first announced its intention to purchase Astral Media for $3.4 billion.

Why are we re-hearing about this now?

Well, it seems the countrys largest telecom company, and the largest media company is getting a bit hot under the collar as opposition gathers to its proposed purchase, which will be the subject of hearings in Montreal next month.

Today, the company issued a press release to re-announce the $80 million fund, which in Bells defence received scant coverage by the media when the Astral deal was announced.

How nervous is Bell about this new opposition campaign? To give you an idea, as a reporter I often have difficulty even reaching the companys PR spokesperson with a question. When I do, I often just get a carefully crafted paragraph with the companys official position emailed to me just in time for deadline, and no occasion to actually interview a human being.

Yesterday for the first time I can remember, a PR agent for Bell called me minutes after my web story was posted and offered me an interview with one of the companys top executives  regulatory affairs VP Mirko Bibic.

With a new CRTC chairman at the helm, and an increasingly hostile dialogue building between Bell and its competitors, it should make for excellent theatre at the CRTC hearings.

lol too funny. can't wait to see what Bell has to spew in this interview.

Maybe Mirko will state they will create 500 million jobs, donate a billion dollars to charity, send each person in Canada a voucher for 2$ off their Bell internet (sent just before the 5$ price increase), and the economy will never again hit a depreesion. But only if Bell can buy Astral.

The weather must be a bit too warm for Mirko's golfing. I am kinda of surprised that his little black book would have an open spot.

>Maybe Mirko will state they will create 500 million jobsSo every person in Canada regardless of age will get 16+ unpaid intern "jobs"(TM) working for BCE BHell past eternity as a punishment for their sins.